Gran Turismo 3 A-spec

The gameplay in Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec is the same as its predecessors; fans of the previous games will feel right at home, while newcomers will be able to pick things up easily. There are more than 150 cars from which to choose, and plenty of tracks upon which to race them. Arcade mode works well for a quick fix, while simulation mode provides outstanding replay value. The sound effects are impressive--each engine has a unique sound, and tire screeches from different cars sound noticeably different. The soundtrack is a good mix of original compositions and a wide variety of recording artists, including Motley Crue, Raekwon, Jimi Hendrix, and Snoop Dogg.

One minor flaw with the game is its relatively predictable artificial intelligence. Computer-controlled cars follow distinct lines, and you'll be able to pick up the patterns after a few races. Considering how far the graphics have come since the original Gran Turismo, it's disappointing that the AI hasn't progressed similarly. Despite this, GT3 remains an outstanding game. Few games offer its combination of high quality and immense variety. --Raymond M. Padilla

Pros:

• Incredible graphics
• Excellent physics and controls
• Great soundtrack

• Predictable AI
• No Porsche or Ferrari licenses

Gran Turismo 3 also features more than 100 distinct cars, each with different statistics, including the Subaru Impreza Rally, Dodge Viper GTS-R, and Mazda's RX-7 RS. Computer-controlled opponents benefit from enhanced artificial intelligence; they don't act like baby ducks following their mother, but instead respond to other cars, the course, and the conditions in much the same way that real drivers would. Pressure a car, and it will pressure you back; cut one off in the early part of the race, and expect to receive similar treatment down the course. They don't drive perfectly, either; some will spin out and make other mistakes over the course of a race.

Good points:
* Good selection of cars (and colors). Everything from econoboxes to muscle cars to sports cars to F1 and prototypes.
* Good selection of tracks, including city, race track and rally. Plus several real-world (the challenging Laguna Seca and Monaco tracks)
* Cars are customizable: add parts, fine-tune settings.
* Good custom wheel selection
* Realistic driving physics. Oversteer/understeer, wheelspin, weight shift, suspension mods, etc. behave as you'd expect.
* Great graphics
* Challenging
* 2-player battle and iLink (you can hook up several PS2's and compete)

Not-as-good points:
* AI cars hit you, each other and the walls, and can be annoying.
* Car selection emphasizes Japanese cars (not that they're bad, but I'd like to see more European)
* No damage model or rollover, so bouncing off walls has no effect
* Rally races aren't set up like real rallies (they're all head to head as opposed to beating a time)
* Only appearance change is wheel. I'd like to see custom graphics, paintjobs, bodywork, etc.

If you're looking for an arcade action game, this is not it. You'll likely be frustrated by the license tests which need lots of practice to get through. And most of the races require some level of license. But if you're looking for a challenge and to improve, the license tests will make you work for your skills, and enable you to beat some tough AI competition.

But even with a few problems, I give it 5 stars. I could probably get by without buying another game until GT4 comes out. Seriously, it's cheap. Buy it.


Seriously fantastic   August 29, 2001
Raymond Krise (Boston MA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

First, let me offer a critique for people who haven't yet played this game and are interested in it. While GT3 has a robust Arcade Mode component, this game is really aimed at people who are seriously interested in, and love, auto racing. You cannot accomplish much in GT3 by just mashing the accelerator and pointing the car. This fact will frustrate some to the degree that it addicts others. This is almost as real as it gets in a racing game; this is not a fantasy racing game where cars function in a Universe ruled not by the physics of Newton but by those of a Saturday morning cartoon.
The game's physics engine is astonishing. Every car feels different. Those who claim otherwise do not know what a car feels like. The downside to this, for some, is that you absolutely must know how to set up a car, depending on track, type of race, and your personal driving style. There is no "one" right set-up for any given car. You have to learn how you drive, and then set your car up accordingly. Again, for some, frustration, for the rest of us, heaven.
You must also pass licensing tests to compete at higher levels of the game. I have passed them all, with no cheating, and I assure you, you will need to skills polished by the tests to have fun at each new level.
The graphics are stunning. Clearly, Sony realized so much customer satisfaction would derive from being able to replay the results of your efforts and look so good.
Sadly, the game's AI sucks raw eggs, especially compared with the game I constantly compare GT3 with, F! Championship Season 2000. The one good thing about GT3's AI is that the other cars make mistakes, and do not drive like RoboCars all the time. The bad thing is, they seem oblivious to the presence of your own vehicle. These are, for the most part, fendered cars, so some bumping and shoving goes with the competition. I accept that, when fighting for position-but not when I'm lapping a guy repeatedly. The other guy can be five laps down, and he still fights you for the best line, even when you are already occupying it. The good news is that the AI sets the competition at appropriate levels throughout the game. The guys at the higher levels are going pretty quickly, and you have to have some talent to beat them.
There is no destruction from contact, let alone impact. Here, the F1 game is far more realistic; in F1 Champ Season, your car falls apart if you sneeze on it. I understand the manufacturers that licensed Sony to use their vehicles stipulated they wanted no crash realism, lest their cars look bad. I can live with that.
I'll end this segment by saying I am completely addicted to this game. Selecting your cars, tuning them, then setting them up before the race is, in my opinion, 80 percent of the battle for victory. This is a game that rewards doing your homework. How you feel about that statement will probably determine whether or not you love this game.
Now, for people who are playing the game:
I've got both the Super and Rally licenses, so I feel I can say this: Some of the tests are needlessly sadistic, especially when you flunk for knocking over a rubber cone or brushing a railing. This happens in real racing all the time. Having said that, they are all passable. Some of them took me over 100 tries; and who in his right mind turns off traction control on a racing car, like they do in the tests? If you persist, and understand that each test is trying to teach you something, you will learn what the lesson is and pass the test.
The tire wear simulation when you hit the IB license level throws you for a loop at first. There is a whole lot the game's documentation neglects to tell you. When your tires get worn, pull into the pits, and the game will automatically reset your tires to "new," which also means "cold." You will have to learn (1) how to drive to conserve your tires, (2) how to drive on cold tires, and (3) how to keep going fast on worn tires. The best strategy is to start on very hard tires. For a car of any kind of power, and a race more than 3 laps, you are really only going to use racing tire levels 2, 3 and 4, and 4 only rarely. Ideally, choose a hardness that will let you run the whole race without pitting, but without the tires going completely off. If some cars seem considerably faster than you at the start, and your hardware is on a par with them, they are almost certainly on softer tires, and will fall back into your clutches.

Therefore, if you are going to plan to pit, take advantage of qualifying to find out, you know, WHERE THE PIT ENTRANCE IS! You don't want to have to be hunting for the pits when you need to stop.
I have also found that cranking in all the downforce a car has helps with the tire and handling situations. Find the downforce settings on your Car Settings menu. Most street stock cars don't have this option, but all the racing cars do.


The king of all racers!   July 8, 2001
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

[...] WHY NO PORSCHE?

there is porsche! its called RUF! Porsche (the name) is licensed to other game companies and locked up! Ferrari is not available due to tighter licensing and no "RUF" for ferrari to get round this.

FEW AMERICAN CARS?

because the game was made in Japan, by Japanese the emphasis is on japanese makes .. plus, in the GT world, the range, depth and ability of japanese racing cars is much greater than American cars.. even so they've added many european makes, and a decent range of US cars as well.

FEWER CARS THAN GT2?

Many cars in GT2 are just existing cars with a stripe added.. all of the GT3 cars are modelled with a much greater degree of accuracy and most have authentic recorded engine sounds. Polyphony Digital took seven times longer to add a single GT3 car than a single GT2 car due to this extra attention to detail.

MANY OF THE SAME TRACKS?

Yes, but redone in graphics that bring them alive. Given a choice of totally new tracks or old favorites from GT2 done to this level, the compromise of many old tracks and about five new ones is pretty good.

Ok my original review:

I've had the Japanese edition for some time. Its basically identical to the July 11th release US edition.. The game is a triumph.. the designers said in an interview that they hope gamers will get six months of use out of GT3, and I'd agree with that.. you can get to 100% complete faster, or you can never get anywhere near 100% complete and just dip in randomly for fun - either way there are well over 100 hours worth of play in here, much of it not released to you until you're ready.. Graphically GT3 is the best looking (and feeling) racer on all platforms, and looks to be unchallenged for the forseeable future.. there simply isnt anything even in development that will come close... Its worth buying a PS2 purely to play it.. the force feedback wheel adds to the experience (if you can find something to clamp it to!) as it imparts extra sensations you don't get with the analog dual shock.. Any magazine reviewing on a 5 or 10 point scale gives this game a perfect mark.. if you hate accurate racing simulations, then why are you reading these reviews? but if you enjoy looking at and using cars and racing against another (split screen) or against computer cars, or against your own best laps (ghost image), then you need to buy GT3 because there will not be another racing game that matches it for some time.

Having got GT3 and a PS2 you can also look forward to amazing titles this year such as Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid 2, ICO, State of Emergency and many others.. after a drought of A grade titles since the PS2 release, there is a FLOOD coming your way...

Some special moments in GT3 racing for me: Racing at high speed in rally mode and not being able to see a thing due to the dust clouds from the car in front!

Finally getting all golds in two sets of racing license tests, after hours of practice and incremental improvements..

Controlling a high powered car on a wet track using gradual acceleration and braking..

Managing to lap at Monaco without hitting any walls..

Watching replays of innumerable close races.

Finally earning enough money to buy a top GT car..

It goes on and on really.. stop reading and get this game.. it won't change your life, but its brilliant value for money.


This game will keep you busy!   March 23, 2003
Erik Van Meter (Chicago, IL)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

First off, I try hard to beat every game I get. Unfortunately, Gran Turismo 3 is so huge that I might never complete every objective. Whether you like it or not, GT3 will require a lot of patience. If you are easily bored, then try the Arcade Mode and jump into a race with a buddy. If you are a hardcore gamer than play Simulation Mode and race your way to the top (and watch out for those Endurance Races!).

GT3 has all of the world's top manufacturers. It literally has hundreds of cars of all varieties, detailed from the engine to the brake lights. This game uses true to life racing stradegies. If you need help, the 45 page instruction booklet will not only help your motor skills in GT3, but in real life too! This game is highly recommended!

Graphics: 10/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Control: 9/10
Originality: 8/10
Overall: 9.2/10

1-2 Players
Memory Card - Minimum 256k
Digital Control
Analog Control
Vibration Function
Pressure Sensitive


The 'killer app' for the PS2 has arrived!   July 24, 2001
Fourth Horseman
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

You've heard plenty of other people say it, but this is one outstanding game. Not only is the game chock full of eye candy, but it has an almost dizzying array of cars and modifications for the cars.

Perhaps the most amazing thing is how different the cars feel from one another. Powering around the Seattle circuit in a heavily upgraded 600 horsepower Mustang SVT Cobra is entirely a different experience from mincing your way through traffic in a Mazda Miatta.

Force feedback and sound are put to good use throughout the game to give you a feel for what you're driving over and how your tires are gripping the road. The subtle feedback really goes a long way to recreating the driving experience.

Finally, little touches throughout really set this game apart; as you kick in the retros breaking late into a hard corner you'll see your disc brakes glow yellow hot. Watching the race replays you'll see your suspension work overtime as you rocket over curbs and through gravel traps. You'll see headlights glinting off of wet road surfaces and cameras flash in the grand stands as you scream by.

Truly the most impressive racing game to date for any system. Don't miss this one!